If you're a vegetarian, you may be aware that green curry paste often contains fish or seafood extracts that are not suitable for a vegetarian diet. Here is a recipe that still keeps that glorious green curry taste and meets the vegetarian requirement.

Ingredients

2 lemongrass stalks, chopped finely

2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of ginger root, chopped finely

500 g green chillies (remove seeds), chopped finely

2 shallots (peeled), chopped finely

4 garlic cloves (peeled), chopped finely

2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

4 tsp peanut oil (or substitute preferred oil)

2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste (optional)

Steps

1

Assemble ingredients.

2

Fry the coriander seeds and cumin seeds without oil until they start to brown.

3

Grind them into a spice.

4

Put all remaining ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

5

Add ground spices.

6

Mix together well until blended into a paste.

7

Use immediately or store, covered, in a refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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Tips

Use a mortar and pestle or the rolling pin on a wooden board to grind the spices.

If you don't have fresh lime juice, packaged lime juice is fine.

Suggestions for vegetables to put with your paste include bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, baby carrots, peas, cabbage (cut), broccoli shoots, cauliflower pieces, eggplant, mushrooms etc. Experiment and enjoy. It's a great paste for covering up withering vegetables but only present the freshest of vegetables in the curry if you're entertaining guests.

Warnings

Don't wipe your eyes or mouth after cutting chillies. Either wear gloves while cutting or wash hands well with soap and keep fingers away from face for about 6 hours. Seriously - it hurts!